Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Speaker A: Hey, friend. Welcome to Perspectives into Practice, a place where life's stories meet practical wisdom. Together, we'll explore how faith filled perspectives can transform the way we live, love, and grow.
So grab a seat, settle in, and join us on this journey to turn inspiration into action.
Let's dive in foreign.
Welcome back to Perspectives into Practice. Today is an extra special episode because I have someone joining me today. My brave, beautiful daughter, Hadessa. We've recently been through a really hard and scary season as a family. One that no parent wants their child to walk through. But today we're going to share part of that journey with you and how God's grace showed up for us in the most unexpected ways. So grab your tissues and settle in. This is a story of courage, childlike faith and healing.
Hey, Hadassa.
[00:01:02] Speaker B: Hello.
[00:01:03] Speaker A: All right, so before we dive into some of the deep stuff, I want to share a fun fact about Hadessa. She loves to tell dad jokes. And it didn't matter how sick she felt. She was determined to bring a little laughter to everyone. She, she told every single nurse, doctor and tech who walked in a joke. Do you have any jokes for us today, Dessa?
[00:01:27] Speaker B: I'm trying to think. It's about a dalmatian.
What did the dalmatian say after he ate lunch?
[00:01:35] Speaker A: What did he say?
[00:01:37] Speaker B: Do you know it?
[00:01:38] Speaker A: I know it because I heard you tell the doctors it.
[00:01:41] Speaker B: I'm gonna give you five more seconds.
[00:01:43] Speaker A: Do you guys know it? What do you think?
That hit the spot, the delivery she gets you every single time. You know, it's that kind of joy that even in the pain that sometimes only God can plant in our hearts. And she sure knew how to bring it and spread it. And I want to talk about how she felt and what she learned during those really tough days. So Desa, can you tell us what happened at the beginning? When we first went to the hospital.
[00:02:14] Speaker B: I was laying down conscious on the floor in our bathroom, throwing up. And we went to the hospital, you couldn't even hear me talk.
And I was like talking like a.
Something like that, kind of.
And they had to get insert a needle and guess what?
[00:02:38] Speaker A: What?
[00:02:39] Speaker B: They inserted a needle that parents use that's bigger than my needle. Mine's a butterfly needle and theirs is. I don't know what they call theirs, but this is bigger than a butterfly needle and they inserted theirs cuz theirs was a parent hospital, not a children's.
[00:02:58] Speaker A: Right. So we went to just a regular hospital er and they.
[00:03:02] Speaker B: Where they had babies.
[00:03:03] Speaker A: Yeah, they weren't ready for. For children.
[00:03:06] Speaker B: Yeah. And it hurt the whole time. It was like. It happened. It was all day.
It hurt all day.
I just didn't like it.
[00:03:16] Speaker A: And what happened after we were at that hospital?
[00:03:20] Speaker B: The first one, we slept the night, and then we woke up, and I had it. We waited the whole day, and then we went to a private transfer and went to the church in Vanderbilt Hospital.
[00:03:34] Speaker A: That's right. What was the scariest part of all of it for you?
[00:03:39] Speaker B: When I.
When I was throwing up in the hospital in my rv and when I had to get needles and I was scared.
[00:03:49] Speaker A: Yeah, that. That was pretty scary.
The scary part for me was it this coming out of nowhere, and then all of a sudden, they're like, hey, you need a transfusion.
And how many did you end up getting all together?
[00:04:05] Speaker B: Seven.
[00:04:06] Speaker A: Yeah. That's a lot, huh?
[00:04:08] Speaker B: Yeah.
My mom, when she was little, she was five years old, and her parents noticed that she had cancer when she was five years old, and she had to go to the same hospital I did, and it saved her life.
So I'm really glad that.
[00:04:25] Speaker A: Yeah, they're. They do a really great job there.
So were there things that helped you to feel safe or brave even when it hurt?
[00:04:34] Speaker B: My mom and my friends and the doctors, they kept me safe and happy.
[00:04:41] Speaker A: How did they help you feel that way?
[00:04:43] Speaker B: Because they were talking about, like, funny stuff, and I told them all the jokes and holding their hand, hugging them and all that stuff.
[00:04:52] Speaker A: That's so awesome. What did you pray to God when you were feeling scared?
[00:04:57] Speaker B: I hope I feel better.
And we were so. My mom was praying every day for me on Instagram, showing pictures of me getting better.
[00:05:11] Speaker A: That's right. We were.
So if you could tell other kids what it's like to be in the hospital for something hard, what would you say?
[00:05:19] Speaker B: It's not hard. Just be brave. One time, it was.
I think it was the first or second time I got a needle in my arm, and I had these, like, VR headset.
I forgot it. VR. Like, VR headsets. Like, where you put something on, and it was like. It was like under the sea. It was w.
And I put my hand out. You might feel a cold breeze on your arm. You might feel little. Little sharp pain. And then when that was, the needle came, and I was like, oh, that's cool. And then I looked at every single fish that was, like, in a circle or in a line or in a square. And in my music. That was so fun. I love Wally the way.
[00:06:08] Speaker A: That was a really good experience for you. We were. That was when we first got to the ER at Vanderbilt Children's. Right?
[00:06:16] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:06:17] Speaker A: And so I guess the best advice you could tell these kids is to be distracted and to be brave. Is that what you're saying?
[00:06:27] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:06:28] Speaker A: Yeah. Were there moments when you felt God was really close to you in all of this?
[00:06:34] Speaker B: It was when I was getting needles and when I was having a fun time.
[00:06:40] Speaker A: You felt like God was close to you when you were having fun? Why do you think that is?
[00:06:45] Speaker B: Because when I have fun at a hospital, I'm like, it's gonna be not long until I leave.
So that's why God's close to me. That's why I'm happy. Because that's why.
[00:07:02] Speaker A: Because you knew that you were gonna. God was gonna heal you and get you out?
[00:07:06] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:07:07] Speaker A: Was there a time that someone said something kind or brought you something special that helped you to feel love?
[00:07:13] Speaker B: I don't remember, but is you'll feel better soon and hope you have a great time.
Everybody around the world is still praying for me.
[00:07:23] Speaker A: They are. We have so many prayer warriors all around the world.
[00:07:27] Speaker B: Even in China.
[00:07:28] Speaker A: Even in China.
So was it special when people would come to visit you? What was there. Was there other things that happened in the hospital?
[00:07:38] Speaker B: Whenever my. The PT came, I got marker and colored on the wall. My dad printed pictures about our family and pictures I drew with my nana, all that fun stuff.
[00:07:50] Speaker A: Anybody come visit you?
[00:07:52] Speaker B: My nana, my Pop Pop, my gigi, my Aunt Shelly.
Mommy.
[00:08:00] Speaker A: We had lots of visitors, huh? Yeah.
[00:08:02] Speaker B: Allegra and Taylor, my siblings, my family.
[00:08:07] Speaker A: That was really special. I know that you enjoyed when people came to visit you or called you or left you messages because it could get really lonely and quiet in the hospital.
[00:08:22] Speaker B: Yeah. I was sleeping one time and I set a timer for 30 minutes and somebody deleted it.
[00:08:30] Speaker A: Oh, did they?
[00:08:31] Speaker B: Yes, Mommy.
[00:08:33] Speaker A: She set a timer for 30 minutes, and I did delete that timer because I knew that she needed to sleep for longer. And guess what?
[00:08:43] Speaker B: She did for how long?
[00:08:45] Speaker A: I think you slept for over an hour. For sure.
It wasn't until coming your nurse, they had to come. You do a vitals check for you, do you. So do you remember a Bible verse or a song that made you feel strong or.
[00:08:59] Speaker B: No, but we did prayers and songs all the time.
[00:09:02] Speaker A: Yeah. Every day. What did I ask you?
[00:09:04] Speaker B: What do you feel most happy? What do you feel most glad about? Because we were sending pictures and all that stuff on Instagram to cr.
[00:09:15] Speaker A: Yeah. So I would ask you, what. What are you thankful for today?
[00:09:19] Speaker B: Yeah.
And I'm like, I don't know, but sometimes I say it. And what I'm thankful for. I'm thankful for my friends. I'm thankful for being here. I'm thankful for not. Not, not.
I'm trying to think.
[00:09:34] Speaker A: There was a lot of things that we were able to be thankful for. Sometimes it was that they had the good ice cream when she took her medicines. Sometimes it was that they had the good chicken fingers because sometimes that was one of the only things she wanted to eat.
[00:09:49] Speaker B: Sometimes it was the good popsicles that we. They had. The only thing that I ate at the eder hospital was the popsicles because I wanted. I couldn't eat anything but the popsicles. That was the only thing I would eat. Don't think it was yummy, but that was the only thing I would eat. Nothing else.
[00:10:07] Speaker A: That's very true.
How are you feeling now?
[00:10:11] Speaker B: I'm feeling way better, but I have to go back August 22nd.
[00:10:17] Speaker A: And what are you. What do you go back to the hospital for?
[00:10:20] Speaker B: For that I have to get a blood checkup.
[00:10:22] Speaker A: And are your numbers good with your blood checkup?
[00:10:25] Speaker B: I have to get my hemoglobin. Hemoglobin.
[00:10:29] Speaker A: That's right. So what is your actual diagnosis?
[00:10:33] Speaker B: Warm water immune hemolytic anemia.
[00:10:37] Speaker A: That's it. She's worked really hard memorizing that because it's a hard one. What does it mean? What does being strong mean to you now?
[00:10:45] Speaker B: That I can do anything that I put my mind to.
[00:10:49] Speaker A: That's a great answer, Des. That you can do anything that you put your mind to.
[00:10:54] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:10:55] Speaker A: If someone else is going through something really scary or painful, what would you tell them about how to get through it?
[00:11:03] Speaker B: I will tell them.
Spread to God. It's gonna be okay.
One time we were. I was like two years old, I think, and I was like. I think I was 2 years old because I was like, I was old enough to talk and walk, but not old enough to, like, actually talk a lot. So there was this guy.
He looked sad. I went up to him at the store and I was like, up, up, up. And my mom said, no, she wants you to pick her up.
And then I, She. He picked me up and I hugged him so tight. He was actually. He had a smile on his face. He dropped all of his items and he had a smile on his face.
[00:11:50] Speaker A: It was so sweet. You've always had a very sensitive spirit, and I love that even through all of this that you've gone through that you still have that sweetness in you and you get to share it with others.
[00:12:03] Speaker B: There was this guy and he only had one leg. And I was really sad because I didn't know what he was going through because he. He didn't. He had a dog because he probably had his dog. Probably was a service dog.
And he was. He looked mad because I smiled and he didn't smile back, which is really sad because he didn't have a leg.
[00:12:30] Speaker A: What do you think Jesus wants you to remember from this time in your.
[00:12:34] Speaker B: Life that I'll be safe and trust him in all things.
And I hope I won't get sick again. And I'll pray every day. I make jokes to make me happy because one time I got a IV and it was laughing like, ha ha. And then I stopped like ow. But that was fine because it was laughing and it made me laugh and smile. Jokes make me smile. I like. The only thing that makes me laugh and smile is jokes. And you know, I like jokes.
[00:13:07] Speaker A: Jokes are fun. Would you say that having joy, even in rough circumstances is something that you've learned from this time?
[00:13:15] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:13:16] Speaker A: Yeah, I think so too.
Sometimes the biggest faith is the simple belief that God sees us and loves us even when we're hurting. And I love that she shares that joy with others.
And you know, it's also a distraction from the pain. And sometimes that distraction can also just turn the sadness into goodness, even in the suck. And I really think that she learned a lot and she also passed that on to others.
This has been so wonderful, Hadassah, and I'm so proud of you. You know, your story helps to remind all of us that God is near to the brokenhearted and that even the smallest hearts can hold the biggest faith. One last question for you, and it's a question I ask everybody on my podcast here. And that is what is one perspective that you would encourage listeners to apply today?
[00:14:18] Speaker B: Brush your teeth.
[00:14:22] Speaker A: That is a new one. I can definitely say that not one person has ever given that as a lesson to apply today. If you were to think past dirty teeth, what's. What's a. What's a perspective that you could have them apply that?
[00:14:40] Speaker B: Cuz if you don't brush your teeth, you get cavities. Cuz I didn't brush my teeth and I got cavities. I had to get a crown on one and get one removed and I still have one removed. So brush your teeth. Kids and parents and grandmas, everybody brush your teeth.
And how to make people smile because it can make their day.
Tell jokes because I know it'll make their day.
[00:15:09] Speaker A: I love that. So you heard it here first, folks. Brush your teeth, kids, adults, and grandparents, and make someone smile. I love that. Well, Hadassah, thank you so much for being with us. Friends, if this touched your heart, please share it with someone who needs hope and healing. And remember, even small shifts in perspective can lead to big changes. Now go put those perspectives into practice. Talk to you next time.
